Category Archives: Book News

While I pick up my jaw from the ground, check out the covers for the three remaining Divergent short stories that focus on Four’s earlier years!

Aren’t they just gorgeous? My favourite is the last one Four: The Traitor. The green emblazing ravens circling the the title of the book above the skyline of Chicago is so awesome. Four: A Divergent Collection will go on sale July 8 in hardcover and digitally. It includes The Transfer, the first eBook that you can already check out, The Traitor, The Son, and The Initiate. If you missed out on seeing the cover for the Transfer you can check it out below the new covers. You can buy it over at Amazonfor only $1.99. The images debuted on EW this morning.

You may be confused, thinking that these short stories were supposed to be released singularly over a period of time. Well, author Veronica Roth did say she would do that but then realized back in December that she needed more time to work on them. They will now be released all together.

“The stories turned out much meatier and more substantial than I was originally anticipating when I started them,” Roth said, “There’s just so much going on — Tobias’s reunion with his mother, his growing disillusionment with the faction system, and some of his early moments with Tris, to name a few. So I just really, really need more time to get them right.”

As if we don’t have enough Divergent excitement already, the film is set for release on 21 March, less than a month away! And it stars Shailene Woodley, Theo James and Ansel Elgort.

When it comes to Game of Thrones, nobody is more enthusiastic about new information than the book fans. The fans who have read through thousands of pages and still not been satisfied with an ending in over two decades. It has been three years since we have heard anything about when The Winds of Winter will be released. While we still don’t have that information (SORRY!) but we do have an excerpt from this writer’s personal favourite character – Tyrion!

Check it out below:

TYRION

Somewhere off in the far distance, a dying man was screaming for his mother. “To horse!” a man was yelling in Ghiscari, in the next camp to the north of the Second Sons. “To horse! To horse!” High and shrill, his voice carried a long way in the morning air, far beyond his own encampment. Tyrion knew just enough Ghiscari to understand the words, but the fear in his voice would have been plain in any tongue. I know how he feels.

Many thanks to Entertainment Weekly who shared the quotes. They also report that the whole chapter will be available in March through Random House’s A World of Ice and Fire app.The chapter will feature Tyrion and be available even in the free version of the app, along with new location descriptions and character profiles.

The release date for Winds of Winter has yet to be determined but I’m willing to be that 2015 will be the year. Martin likes to take his time writing the books but he has a new motivation to complete the books faster now that the TV series is already up to Book 3. The last Game of Thrones book, A Dance with Dragons, the fifth in the series,was published in 2011. While we eagerly await a release date you can be sure that the exclusive chapter in March will be a big tease!

Game of Thrones Season 4 will premiere on Sunday, April 6, at 9:00 p.m. EST/PST on HBO.

At Scholastic’s NYC headquarters yesterday, illustrator Kazy Kibuishi presented the last of the new Harry Potter book editions. You can check out the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows cover below. The event coincided with Harry Potter and author J.K. Rowling’s birthday! Happy belated birthday Harry and Jo!

At the same time the spines of each book were released. Together they create a photo of Hogwarts! I might just have to buy the set again.

Many readers of YABR will know about Goodreads but did you know that users had the opportunity to ask The Casual Vacancy author J.K. Rowling one question? The winning user asked Rowling about why she wrote a gritty reality in The Casual Vacancy instead of a fantasy like Harry Potter.

Some of you might not want to read her exhaustive answer so in summary Rowling writes that she felt her characters are all trapped by circumstances, whether forced upon them or created by themselves, and draws comparison to the fact that most adults feel like they are trapped and thus unable to change their lives once they are stuck in a situation. She goes into detail with a few characters so if you’ve read and managed to get all the way through The Casual Vacancy read the full question and answer below! (Beware of spoilers.)

Scholastic unveiled Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’s new cover at San Diego Comic-Con. The illustrator, Kazu Kibuishi, attended the Scholastic party to celebrate his design. This might be the best one yet! Check it out below:

The Harry Potter hardbacks will retain their original art designed by Mary GrandPre. It is only the paperbacks that are receiving the new covers. They hit bookstores on August 27.

Pottermore has announced that new features will be coming to the site once the final chapters of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is released in the coming weeks. Two of those new features include the ability to comment on Moments, chapters, and J.K. Rowling’s entries, and Book Pages.

“You will not only have the ability to comment on Moments, but each book, each chapter, and each exclusive content entry from J.K. Rowling, so you can discuss your feelings and ideas about the Harry Potter stories and interact with the Pottermore community,” writes Pottermore on their Insider blog.

In addition, Pottermore will launch “Book Pages” which each share very basic information about the seven Harry Potter books. You will be able to leave comments about each book as well.

Comments have always been integrated into Pottermore at the end of each Chapter but as users get house points for each comment it is difficult to see how implementing comments elsewhere through the site will encourage readers to have a discussion. I wish that Pottermore would focus on the millions of Harry Potter fans rather than just new readers of the books, but at least they’re trying to improve the website! Do you still use Pottermore?

At least we have the high-res version of the new cover for the Order of the Phoenix. Here we see Harry riding a thestral to the ministry of magic.

The entire Scholastic set with all new covers designed by Kazu Kibuishi will be available on August 27, 2013 as part of the 15th Anniversary of the U.S. publication of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

If you missed them check out the covers for the following Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling:

We have found the new cover for the Order of the Phoenix on the Scholastic Shop website! Unfortunately as it hasn’t been officially “released” it’s only a small image. But it looks great!

The entire Scholastic set with all new covers designed by Kazu Kibuishi will be available on August 27, 2013 as part of the 15th Anniversary of the U.S. publication of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

If you missed them check out the covers for the following Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling:

Scholastic has released Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’s new paperback cover, and it features Harry versus the Hungarian Horntail.

The cover was designed by Kazu Kibuishi. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was originally published July 8, 2000. It was the first time a Harry Potter book was published in the United States and United Kingdom on the same day.

Mary GrandPre’s original cover for the United States version of the fourth Harry Potter book featured Harry in front of the Goblet of Fire. But the British Bloomsbury version by Giles Greenfield, also depicts the First Task of the Triwizard Championship, with Harry on his Firebolt being chased by a Hungarian Horntail. Whose depiction looks better?

Hoping to entice a new generation of adult readers, Bloomsbury and J.K. Rowling announced today that the Harry Potter books will be re-published in paperback format with some new, and very different, covers.

The covers take on a modern and vibrant look with a sketch pertaining to an element within each book’s story. The first three covers for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban were unveiled today.

J.K. Rowling’s official Facebook page noted that the first three books with new covers will be available from July 18, 2013, followed by the next two on August 15, 2013, and the final two on September 26, 2013.

The jackets are illustrated by Andrew Davidson and “feature his beautiful woodcut style.”

While the modern look will certainly attract some new readers who may have been hesitant to jump on the Potter bandwagon in the past, I don’t think current fans will gain anything from purchasing these new editions. (Unless you really like the covers!)